Field Test Results of the Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets

The objective of the first two phases of NCHRP Project 3-70 was to develop and test a framework and enhanced methods for determining levels of service for automobile, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian modes on urban streets, in particular with respect to the interaction among the modes. Phase 2 resulted in the multimodal level of service method (MMLOS) described in NCHRP Report 616, Multimodal Level of Service for Urban Streets. The objective of Phase 3 of NCHRP Project 3-70 was to field test the MMLOS method with various public agencies around the United States. This Final Report presents the results of this third phase of the research. During Phase 3 the MMLOS method was field tested in 10 metropolitan areas of the United States. Public agency staffs were trained on the MMLOS method and it’s implementing software. They assisted in data collection and evaluated the suitability of the MMLOS method for use within their agency. Based on the results of these field tests several revisions were made to the spreadsheet software for implementing MMLOS. Additional guidance was provided to deal with conditions encountered in the field that were not anticipated when the original guide, NCHRP Web-Only Document 128, was written. Finally, a few minor modifications to the pedestrian level of service model are recommended to improve its sensitivity to some of the conditions encountered in the field tests.